Emendation of Ages
by TedIsMyHero
Summary: Third installment of the Deception Trilogy. Lita discovers that her actions in the past have altered the events of the future. She seeks to restore things to the way they should be and to fix time.
1. Chapter 1

METROID: EMENDATION OF AGES

PROLOGUE LOG ENTRY 926   
The flux capacitor wasn't as advanced as I had hoped. Time travel has come along way since this thing was made. Modern devices took much of the bodily stress out of jumping, but not this one. I feel like I've been hit by a star cruiser. Something is wrong in the lab, however. No one is here, and there is no evidence that anyone ever has been. The silence is creepy. What is going on?

Lita out…  
Lita scanned the room. All of the controls, all of the displays, all of the equipment was unmanned.

She checked her chronograph. It had only been two minutes from when she had originally jumped to the past. So where was everyone?

"This just isn't right," Lita thought to herself.

She weaved through the 'Jump Room', as it had been labeled, and exited into the hallway, which was eerily in the same condition as her last location.

The hallways were usually a superhighway of engineers, scientists, and timecops, but not this time.

Lita continued down the hall until she came upon the data terminal.

She pulled out a small headset from a compartment on the terminal and placed it over her ears.

She adjusted the microphone.

"Search Marcusson," she said. 

SEARCHING….

…..

…..

RESULT NOT FOUND…

READY…

"No. That's not right. Computer, search James Marcusson," Lita said.

SEARCHING… 

…..

…..

RESULT NOT FOUND…

READY… 

"This can't search Samus Aran," Lita tried.

SEARCHING….

…..

….. 

RESULT FOUND…

SUBJECT: SAMUS ARAN  
STATUS: DECEASED, COMBAT  
PROFILE: TWO STAR GALACTIC FEDERATION GENERAL SAMUS ARAN WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR MANY VICTORIES IN THE FEDERATION'S MOVEMENT TO ELIMINATE SPACE PIRACY. ARAN ROSE QUICKLY IN THE RANKS OF THE MILITARY THROUGH CONSTANT SUCCESS IN TAKING PART IN AND LEADING MULTIPLE RAIDS ON PIRATE STRONGHOLDS. AFTER ARAN'S PROMOTION TO TWO STAR GENERAL, SHE WAS ORDERED TO TAKE TEN DIVISIONS TO THE ALIMBIC CLUSTER. ALTHOUGH SHE PROTESTED SHARPLY, SHE OBEYED HER COMMANDING OFFICER AND PROCEEDED WITH THE OPERATION. UPON ARRIVAL, ALL TEN DIVISIONS, INCLUDING GENERAL ARAN WERE SLAUGHTERED BY SCORES OF BOUNTY HUNTERS.

END PROFILE…

READY… 

"N….no….that can't be…then how….I can't…." Lita stammered as she began to cry, "Computer, search…Adam Malkovich."

SEARCHING…

…..

….. 

RESULT FOUND…

SUBJECT: ADAM MALKOVICH  
STATUS: CURRENT  
PROFILE: AFTER GARNERING ACCLAIM AS A WAR HERO, MALKOVICH WAS HONORABLY DISCHARGED DUE TO INJURIES SUSTAINED IN BATTLE. MALKOVICH CONTINUED TO OFFER MILITARY ADVICE TO THE GALACTIC FEDERATION UNTIL THE ALIMBIC AFFAIR. MALKOVICH NOW RESIDES ON THE PLANET VHAZON.

END PROFILE…

READY…

Tears streamed down Lita's red hot cheeks.

"I thanked her by changing the past and getting her killed…" Lita said aloud to invisible ears.

Her only hope was to find Adam Malkovich… 

As Lita turned from the console, she felt herself swoon a bit. She braced herself against the nearest wall as she felt her knees give way.

She collapsed to the floor and squinted as a cacophony filled her cranium. Beeps, buzzes, sirens and other erratic noises pierced her consciousness.

Tears flowed from her eyes as she began to lose composure. She clutched the sides of her head as if she were trying to keep it from splitting apart.

Lita inhaled sharply preparing for a sanity expelling scream...

then there was silence...

Lita opened her eyes and her vision returned from blurred to sharp. She lifted up off of the ground and noticed a few drops of blood. She checked her head, but there were no gashes or cuts. As she lowered her hand, another drop hit her finger. She checked her ear. A crimson smear revealed the source. Both of her ears had started bleeding during the...situation.

In the still air of the station, Lita heard something beeping.

At first, she recoiled, fearing another painful episode, but realized that is was a communication console in another room.

She took her time and gathered her composure as she wandered into the room. 

There were two signals: one was coming from a moon circling Planet Vhazon...

the other came from the Rho Quadrant...

CHAPTER 1

LOG ENTRY 927

Two random signals and still not a person to be found… Now what? It makes me wonder if there are any ships left…

If Adam is still on Vhazon, then I'd probably be best trying to respond to that signal.

Lita out…

From the communications console, Lita pulled up the main desktop.

She clicked on the hangar inventory icon.

A small error window popped up with a white X inside a red circle.

"Stupid Windows…why couldn't the programmers update when the new OS's came out 25 years ago?" Lita grumbled.

She quickly bypassed the error and pulled up the hangar layout.

All bays were empty with the exception of one: a lightweight spy craft used for covert ops. It was lightly armed and heavily cloaked for maximum stealth.

It would have to do.

Vhazon was nearly half a lightyear away, and Lita knew she would need to go into light animation for the ten hour journey. She also knew that any modern day quest without the knowledge or support of her battalion warranted heavy preparation…and supplies.

Lita ventured down the hallway and came to a pressurized door with a palm plate.

She placed her hand on the frigid scanner and the door hissed.

As she entered the room, she sighed in ecstasy at the multitude of racks filled with all sorts of weaponry. Pulse rifles, plasma pistols, rocket launchers, SPG's, RPG's, and mini-MAC's…a militant's dream.

Lita helped herself to nearly one of everything. She carried all of the weapons to the hangar, and then returned to gather plenty of ammo boxes. She would not run short of "supplies" on this trip.

After checking all of her supplies and each of the consoles inside the ship, Lita sent the command to disengage the hold on the craft and open the hanger bay doors.

Not too long afterward, she felt woozy. Multicolored "blind spots" appeared in her vision. She blinked rapidly and forcefully, trying to make them go away, but to no avail. Moment after moment, the spots grew larger until her entire scope was undistinguishable.

Suddenly the bright colors vanished and she saw nothing but black. Then she felt a sharp pain in her back. She turned to face the source, but still only beheld the darkness. A blunt strike on the side of her skull sent her reeling to the side, but another sharp pain in her side sent her back. The pains and strikes kept occurring more and more frequently until Lita felt like she had actually been cast into the deepest ring of hell.

Finally her body jolted and she felt cold…no, she wasn't cold…the floor was cold…

Her vision returned as she stared sideways across the floor of the ship. The cold metal chilled her skin, and felt as if it might stick as she tried to right herself.

"What is happening to me?" she asked herself.

The ship had drifted freely into the side of the hangar. That must have been what brought her back to reality.

Lita went to the front of the ship and ordered it to import the coordinates for the signal from the Vhazonian moon. She then worked her way back to the cryopod for some much desired sleep.

Not only had the time travel caused her severe fatigue, the two "episodes" she had experienced after her return felt like hours a piece.

She blinked her eyes once and saw the frost gather on the inside of the glass…then unconsciousness.

_Silence…_

_Deadly silence…_

_This isn't good…_

_Even with these brave soldiers, I don't think I'll make it out of here easily…_

_The walls are turning a blood red color and look to be turning moist…_

_None of our communicators seem to be working, and there doesn't seem to be a passage out of this room…including our point of entry…which seems to be nonexistent…_

_I only hope the fleet knew our last whereabouts so they can track our location…_

_All we can do is wait…_


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

LOG ENTRY 928

When I woke up from my cryo-sleep, my dream troubled me. Not only that, but I had a nice slash down my left arm. The cryogenics had frozen the wound, but that still doesn't explain how I got it. The chamber is nigh impregnable, so nothing could have gotten in, and if it had, why only a cut and not a kill? No matter, I'm approaching the moon around Vhazon, yet the signal is no longer coming from the moon, but the surface of the planet. It looks like I'll be going in now.

Lita out…

The planet looked dead. It was shrouded in a darkness that seemed to permeate to the core of the planet. Further inspection of diagrams revealed that Vhazon was a very cold planet on the surface. This came as a result of its nearest star being destroyed in what was considered the worst spacebound war to occur in any of the known cosmos.

Now, most of Vhazon's inhabitants lived in subterranean abodes, where the core of the planet still provided heat. The basis for energy was steam and geothermal heat, but the ingenious Vhazonians developed a safe and clean burning fuel from the ore within their planet's crust.

Vilonium, as they called it, was a non-radioactive, non-volatile element, yet it had all of the intensive properties of a vastly successful fuel. Its cool violet glow was a signal of life for the average Vhazonian, and if an outsider were to discover it, the planet itself could be considered ruined, for the Vilonium was created by the natural leaking of the core of the planet. If pirates or merchants were to discover it, the core of the planet would surely be drained, leaving the planet a barren and cold wasteland through and through.

As Lita's ship waded through the dismal atmosphere, something in the back of her mind told her that it was similar to the planet visited in Operation: Shattered Ice.

Suddenly, Lita snapped back in her seat.

What were these memories? They weren't hers. She had never actually been to LC-269, or even seen any visuals or sketches for that matter. She had only seen what was written in the debriefing reports…

The console began beeping, signaling the landing at the destination.

Lita bundled up and began arming herself with what she felt might be warranted.

When she exited her craft, the experience was like no other.

The air was bitterly cold, but more of an effect was the startling absence of weather as we know it. There was no wind, no clouds, no precipitation, just bitter cold and darkness. This phenomenon shot to Lita's core and she immediately felt like she had been frozen.

To the left of the ship, she saw a stone structure resembling a house. She decided that's where the signal must have originated.

When Lita entered the crude building, she found that it provided no shelter from the cold. She searched around, looking for any sign of civilized life or technology. After a quick inspection (that's all it took, since the building was mostly empty), Lita went up a case of stairs that led to the top of the building.

She peeked her head out and looked around.

Just as she was about to descend, a small glimmer caught her eye. On the very corner of a ledge was a small pulsing green light.

Lita finished climbing the stairs and walked over to the item. It was a Galactic Federation standard issue communicator.

When she picked it up, she noticed a message on the LCD screen.

"WHEN YOU GET THIS, ENTER THE 'CAVE' BEHIND THIS BUILDING."

"That's strange," Lita said aloud as she turned to look off of the back of the structure.

Before her stood quite a range of mountains, yet at the bottom was a sizeable hole bearing a faint violet light.

Inside the cave, she saw something standing. It stayed for a moment, then simply turned and disappeared inside.

"What do I have to lose? Nobody back home knows I'm here, so I might as well go along with it," Lita sighed as she dropped down off of the back of the building.

The purple light within the cave engulfed Lita as she entered. As surprising as the light was, it was nothing compared to the relief from the assaulting cold she had just experienced. Her face, ears, and hands tingled as they regained feeling inside what turned out to be a most hospitable hole in the ground.

Lita looked around and noticed that the cave was more of a road or path that led deeper within the mountain.

She proceeded, noting that the farther she went, the warmer it became.

Eventually, she had to shed both of the outer coats she had donned, as well as her gloves and over-boots.

Now she remained in her black bodysuit and the belts and straps that held her weapons and ammunition.

Lita gathered her extra garments and tried stashing them in a hole in the side of the tunnel.

"What a sight! It gets awfully tiresome looking at the mundane Vhazonian women all day," said a voice from behind Lita.

She spun to face it with plasma pistols drawn.

"Whoa, there, no need to bear arms against me, soldier. I know why you're here…but as to why you're here alone…that's the puzzle," the man said.

"Who are you?" Lita asked, still brandishing her sleek weaponry.

"I sent the beacon. I figured it was time for me to regain my involvement in the Galactic Federation…not to mention the conflict that's about to reach as far as any has ever seen," the man explained.

The cold had obviously affected Lita, as well as her latest dreams and experiences. Her brain tried to decipher what the man had told her, then she remembered.

"You didn't answer my question. Who are you?" she maintained.

"You needn't be so gruff. I am Adam Malkovich, but you might know me as Galactic Federation Vice Admiral Adam Malkovich," Adam replied.

"Y-you…I…I don't believe you," Lita forced as her hands began to shake.

"You don't have to. It won't change anything, just like you aiming those pistols at me…and besides, you'd miss quite terribly if you were to fire them right now," Adam said.

Lita's arms shook worse, then dropped to her sides as she fell to her knees and looked up at Adam.

"I know what you're thinking. I'm not supposed to be alive. In all actuality, I concur. I should be long dead by now," Adam remarked.

"What are you talking about?" Lita probed.

"That whole flux capacitor time travel hooplah…yeah, that was all developed under my command and 'watchful eye'. You're a time cop, right? You're a result of all of that research," Adam construed.

"So you invented…" Lita started.

"Noooo, no, no, kid. I didn't invent a thing. I'm a soldier, not a scientist. When I first became Vice Admiral, one of the divisions with which I was entrusted was the research division. In that span, they had developed a flux capacitor and a limited time travel device. After witnessing the effects on some of the trials, I ordered it to cease, but some powerful GF lobbyist paid the Grand Admiral enough money to get me pulled from the command of that division," Adam explicated.

"Marcusson…" Lita whispered to herself.

"Of course, I protested my removal, but once again, the almighty dollar was the judge. The Grand Admiral administered an honorable discharge to remove me of my power, and to the lobbyist, remove me of my opposition. The series of events afterwards is a blur, but in the end, I wound up here, on this desolate planet, where the inhabitants are primitive, yet content, and there is no struggle for power," Adam elucidated.

"Would you believe me if I told you that I knew what the source of the problem was?" Lita asked.

"Given that you're a time traveler, I would be more than willing to give you the benefit of the doubt…Why? Do you know?" Adam asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The benefactor…was his name Marcusson?" Lita inquired.

"I never knew his last name, but the Grand Admiral called him 'James', and he always kept his face out of the light…he was a very suspicious character, especially to be so secretive and have so much money," Adam said.

"It had to be… Vice Admiral…" Lita started.

"Please, call me Adam," Adam said.

"…Adam… is there a place a little more comfortable for this conversation?" Lita queried.

"Yeah, let's head this way, we're just outside of town," he said.

"Town?" Lita retorted.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

LOG ENTRY 929

I can't believe he's really alive…and evidently neither can he. That bothers me, however. How would he be fully aware of the events of the altered past and still exist within the altered future? This is all thanks to Marcusson. That is why time fugitives like him are so dangerous. I very easily could have been unmade in the process… That's something I'd rather not think about…

Now it's time to get some answers…

Lita out…

Lita followed Adam down the winding passage until they got to a massive opening. Ramps and ladders lined walls laden with holes, evidently homes to the relocated Vhazonians.

Many of them were plainly dressed in what looked like native garbs. The clothing looked like that of a tropical culture, probably harbored by the geothermal heat within the subterranean lair.

"Just over here," Adam said as he motioned to a ladder.

He allowed Lita to climb up first.

As she reached the top, she slid a curtain aside and entered the grotto. Inside was a rather expansive room for such a small entry. It included all of the amenities of the common households of yore with the exception of the range, which was powered by Vilonium.

"Would you like a beer?" Adam asked.

"Beer?" Lita asked, confused.

"Yeah, you know, that gold stuff that gets you smashed?" Adam replied, a bit stumped himself.

"I don't get it," Lita responded, still befuddled.

"You've never heard of beer? Never had any or anything in all of your time travels?" Adam tried to make sense.

"I can't say that I have…" Lita said.

"Here, try one," Adam said as he handed Lita an open bottle.

Lita examined it for a moment, then tipped the bottle up for a swig. Nearly immediately she spewed it all over the grotto.

"YEEEEEEEUUUUUUUGH! That tastes like pee!" Lita exclaimed.

"That has to be the most repulsive face I've ever seen on a woman…and that includes the Vhazonian women…" Adam stabbed.

"That has to be the most repulsive DRINK I've ever had…and that includes military ration…" Lita shot back.

"You've got me there," Adam laughed, "Now let's discuss while I clean up the mess."

Lita and Adam talked for what seemed like hours about the details of his life and the differences between "her time" and "his time". She explained to him that Samus was her lifeline as a child.

"So it was because of Samus' sacrifice that you were able to live? Curious…" Adam mulled.

"What do you mean?" Lita asked.

"Well, you realize that you're an exception to the rule of time, right?" Adam returned.

"Rule of time?" Lita tried to clarify.

"When you killed Marcusson and came back to this time, things had changed. I survived the conflict during Shattered Ice. Samus was sent on that hopeless mission and never returned…" Adam stopped.

"So I…shouldn't be here…shouldn't be alive…" Lita bowed her head.

"There must be another reason…another way for you to exist in this timeline…" Adam tried to reason.

Lita shuddered as tears fell from her eyes to the stone floor.

"A soldier shouldn't cry," Adam said sternly.

"I am a human first….not a soldier…" Lita sobbed.

Adam raised an eyebrow, then his visage softened.

"I remember those words well…"

"You…remember those words?" Lita asked.

"Samus said those words verbatim when she was under my command…but that belief waned as she became 'favored' by the higher ups," Adam explained.

"She never became a bounty hunter?" Lita probed.

"No, as much as I would have liked her to, she didn't. I never had the opportunity to discuss that with her aside from command. She would have been better suited for that. The military tends to…stifle the best skills of many people in favor of conformity and equality…" Adam explicated.

"How do you know…about "my time"? How do you know, since you are here in an alternate future?" Lita ventured.

"I found a little cube…I believe I still have it," Adam said as he rummaged through a cabinet.

When he found the cube, he handed it to Lita. When it hit her palm, it came to life with a laser image.

"I….I don't believe it…I…" Lita stammered.

The image was of Lita herself. The image proceeded to chronicle the events during Lita's hunting of Marcusson. The content, however, took a twist. This Lita had returned to an entirely different time than the one she was in currently. She had had to jump to the current time and vaccinate herself for the X-parasite while in cryo-sleep.

"That would explain my arm…" Lita muttered.

At the end of the message, Lita pleaded with Adam to show her alter-ego where to go to find the key to return things to how they should be…then fell lifeless to the floor and disappeared from the surroundings.

"The transmission continues for three more hours…but it's just that empty room. I suppose you can reason as to why that happened," Adam broke the silence.

"She…I…became nonexistent…that means…" Lita started.

"…someone is still changing the past," Adam finished.

"Well now what? Where do I go from here?" Lita asked urgently.

"I thought you'd never ask. Do you recall another signal being received?" Adam posed.

"Yeah, from somewhere in the Rho sector…" Lita raked her brain.

"That's right. It's the Alimbic cluster," Adam stated.

"That's where…the conflict…" Lita trailed off.

"That's the last known location of Samus Aran. I don't know what's there now, but if it took down Samus and her best fighters, then it's nothing to play around with. I hope you've come prepared," Adam cautioned.

"Hopefully moreso than necessary," Lita replied.

"I suppose I'll take you back to your ship?" Adam offered.

"Sure…why not. It's nice to have someone else around…with as alone as I've been lately," Lita sighed.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

LOG ENTRY 930

There's got to be something wrong for things to turn out like they did. If someone is still changing the past, then I have to find them before I get erased in the current time. And what is in this Alimbic cluster that is so dangerous? The only thing mentioned in the reports was that it was a failed expedition, but Samus' unit was evidently not an expeditionary force…it was a lead unit. From what it seems like, if I want to find out, I have to go there myself.

Lita out…

"Remember Lita, what you do affects us all," Adam said as Lita entered her ship.

That line really sent chills down her spine. She was accustomed to her duty as a time soldier, but had never really taken it into account like that. Her actions affected ieveryone/i. Everyone in this time, everyone in the future, and everyone in any time…

"I know…" was the best response she could muster.

Adam stood there the entire time the ship was leaving.

His stature remained that of a true soldier, and the grey that had overcome his scalp was evidence of his days of duty…yet somehow, Lita sensed immense sadness in him.

She admitted to herself that she could probably not come to terms with herself if she were to learn that her current fate was not her actual fate.

Adam was supposed to be dead, and he wasn't. Lita had beheld him as an apparition, which probably didn't help his composure.

"I'm fighting to return things to how they ishould/i be," she repeated to herself.

Then she thought, "How do I know what things ishould/i and ishould not/i be?"

The debate raged on inside her head as she completed the input of coordinates for the Alimbic Cluster.

She had never realized that by being a time soldier, she was doing nothing short of "playing God".

She had the power to decide who lives, and who even iexists/i! Why should a human even possess such a power?

Not even the most noble of beings could wield such a power with complete responsibility, yet it was entrusted to a ragtag bunch of military police?

The creation of time travel was a massive folly, illustrated by irresponsible and haphazard use by those such as Marcusson.

These thoughts eventually gave way to drowsiness and then sleep.

Once again, Lita's sleep held no comfort:

iWe've been waiting for what has to be days…

The batteries in our lights are starting to give way, and with that, the darkness of this desolate place gains more strength…

I've heard something lurking around, moving quickly so it isn't seen…

It's probably waiting for the lights to go out…

And it looks as if it'll get its chance…

"Commander Aran! There's something over here!"

I can't see it…

Save the Gods, it's…/i

Lita snapped back to reality, slinging sweat droplets onto the front display of the ship.

"That voice…I know that voice…" Lita whispered to herself.

She reached back and ran her fingers through her drenched hair.

She didn't know how long she had been out, but according to her ship, she had just crossed into the Rho sector and was approximately an hour away from the Alimbic Cluster.

Suddenly a panel began to pulse.

I schematic popped up on the screen and showed the Alimbic Cluster, a grouping of three planets and four moons all in orbit around each other.

It was an astronomic anomaly, a phenomenon on the grandest scale. No wonder the Galactic Federation had had so much interest in it.

According to her instruments, Lita had to pinpoint and hit a specific spot in the orbits or the gravitational pull would rip her spacecraft to shreds and leave her to suffocate and freeze in the vacuum of space.

She locked on to the outermost planet and started to run a parallel course with it. It was the path of least resistance, or so she thought.

As she neared the planet, a ship appeared on the horizon.

She had never seen a ship like this before. Instead of being smooth and sleek like any Federation or Space Pirate ship, this one was jagged and sharp with protrusions extending out like spines.

As Lita got closer and closer, the ship actually looked partially organic…which was unheard of.

A small speck of light appeared on the hull of the ship.

Then a beam of light flashed past Lita's head, brushing her hair aside…

…then came the chaos.

A current started ripping through the ship, sucking anything and everything toward the tiny hole in the front window.

Lita's body ripped at her restraints, which held fast.

Oxygen was being torn from her lungs as the silent fury was sapping the life from her ship.

The small craft wavered and fell off of its intended path.

End over end it tumbled toward the center of the Alimbic Cluster.

Gravity ravaged the poor ship until it was finally slung towards the centermost and largest planet.

Lita tried to scream, but the sound was swallowed up.

As was her consciousness…

Then there was nothing…


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

ICAPTAIN ARAN! HEEEEELP!

There's nothing I can do…we've wasted all of our ammo on this thing, but it didn't do a thing to it…it looked as if it knew that we couldn't hurt it…and waited until we ran out…just so we would be demoralized…now, all I can do is watch my men die…then give in myself…

HEEEEEEELP! AAAAAAUGH!

I never thought it would end like this…I've never felt so….

…helpless…/i

The voice ended abruptly, replaced by that of a loud constant roar.

Heat…intense heat…

Lita started to regain composure.

With her first conscious breath, she choked. She felt as if she would expel her lungs.

There was fire everywhere.

Where was she?

That's right, the ship. She must have crashed somewhere with a breathable atmosphere.

She had to get out.

Lita unbuckled her restraints, despite the sharp pains that pierced her body through and through.

There was no time to grab any food or weapons, only time to escape through the front window.

She lunged forward and fell out onto the soft grass. The impact of the fall induced more coughing, this time accompanied by blood.

Lita grasped for the ground, grating blades of grass and dirt with her fingers as she tried to get away from the blazing wreckage.

She went flat as a massive eruption of flame plasma belched from the vessel: the weapons cache.

Drifts of dirt and pieces of metal rained down onto the terrain, covering Lita in a fine brownish gray layer of dust.

Over the noise caused by the burning wreckage, she heard several dull thuds: footsteps.

Lita tried to get up, but her muscles failed her. Her sudden trauma had all but left her comatose.

Her vision blurred as a dark figure lifted her and carried her away.

LOG ENTRY 931

It's been three days since my crash. I'm not totally sure where I am, only that I'm on a planet in the Alimbic Cluster…

I woke up to the face of my captor just yesterday. From what I can tell, he's human. He hasn't made any attempt on my life, nor does he seem to be after answers. He actually hasn't said a word to me. He only comes and goes throughout the days, which have been short for me as of late.

Each morning, I've awoken to a cool, wet rag on my forehead and bowls full of food waiting at my side.

I think I finally have the energy to get to my feet…

Lita out…

Lita pulled herself to her feet and stretched. She was still sore from being jostled in the impact. She ran her hands along the bruises caused by her restraint harness. They were still tender, further evidence that what had happened was obviously not a dream.

"You're up," a voice said from behind her.

Lita spun around quickly, then clutched her midsection.

"You heard me. That's great. I thought you might have fallen deaf after the explosion. You never reacted to any of the other times I tried talking to you," the man said.

"Ugh…who are you?" Lita asked through her clinched teeth.

"Lance Corporal Cade Mitchell, Beta Team, ma'am, and who are you?"

"Captain 2nd Rank Lita Anjellis, Chrono Unit," Lita returned.

"A time cop, eh?" Cade quipped.

"Why do you say it like that?" Lita inquired, still holding her stomach.

"You were the golden children. You were the babies of the GF. Supposedly the elite guard…I don't see anything special about you," Cade criticized.

"Seems to me like we got all of the dirty jobs, catching all of the renegades you guys couldn't stop," Lita shot back.

"Touché," Cade said with a chuckle, "you sure didn't lose your wit in the crash."

"Now what's a Galactic Federation Lance Corporal doing out here?" Lita questioned.

"I'd rather not say," Cade said as he suddenly turned white.

"Beta Team…now isn't that the elite special teams unit?" Lita probed.

"It WAS…" Cade trailed off as he turned around.

"What happened?" Lita continued to interrogate her compatriot.

"I would be dishonorably discharged if I were to return to the GF. I fled from conflict…" Cade forced.

"A Beta Team soldier fleeing from battle?" Lita asked with a confused tone.

"It wasn't even battle. We hadn't even seen anything yet. It just didn't ifeel/i right…" Cade said.

"Wait…what didn't feel right? Who was your commanding officer?" Lita inquired.

"Captain Samus Aran…" Cade sighed.

Lita gasped and turned her head. She snapped it back.

"Where is she?" Lita sliced.

"I don't know, I…" Cade started.

Lita grabbed his collar with both hand and jerked him.

"WHERE IS SHE!" she blared.

Cade shrugged and threw her back.

"I told you I don't know! I fell to the back of the line and started on my way back out. When I turned to see if anyone was following me, it was like the cave never existed! It wasn't there! I thought I was hallucinating, but it seemed so ireal/i!"

"What are you talking about?" Lita stopped.

"We were sent to explore this cave that had been marked on our maps. Once we started into the tunnel, I got a bad feeling. It made me sick to my stomach and it felt like my eyes were burning. When I brought it to Captain Aran's attention, she merely wrote it off as cowardice and told me that I should either stick to the front or take off….I opted for the latter. I made my way back to the front of the cave, and once I cleared the opening, I turned around and it wasn't there!" Cade explained.

"Wasn't there…That doesn't make sense!" Lita said.

"You sound just like her…" Cade muttered.

"Like who?" Lita snapped.

"Captain Aran, you sound just like her, your tone and everything. You talk to me like I'm a yellow bellied coward…" Cade complained.

Lita's demeanor lessened in intensity.

"Well you should be ashamed, deserting your unit…but it seems like you may have been the only one that was correct…" Lita stated, "can you take me to where the cave was?"

"Well yeah, but I don't see the point, it's not like it'll be there," Cade answered.

"Get your things, let's go…" Lita ordered.

"Okay, whatever…" Cade said.

"Oh…and by the way…do you have any weapons?" Lita asked with raised eyebrows.


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

LOG ENTRY 932

We've been walking for what seems like hours. Along the way, the terrain has become more and more hostile. The trees are getting smaller and are turning brown colors, and we rarely see any wildlife, save insects and the occasional reptilian creature. Maybe Cade had a point when he decided not to enter this cave…

Lita out…

"Around this ridge, we should see where the cave was," Cade said.

"…or IS," Lita said as they passed the wall of rock.

Before them stood a spire of oddly colored mud. It didn't look like rock, it looked too moist. It was easily fifteen meters high, and in the front, a rigid, gaping hole.

"….no matter what you say, I'm not going in there…last time somebody went in there, they didn't come back, and I don't know about you, but I'm absolutely comfortable out here living like Tarzan…and it wouldn't be bad to have a Jane…if you know what I mean…" Cade rambled.

"In your wildest dreams. You aren't exactly my type, you know. Your cowardice might keep you alive, but it definitely won't get you women. Now if you aren't planning on going in, then give me your weapons. I'll probably need them more than you will," Lita replied.

Cade handed over his rifle, pistol, and one of his knives.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," he cautioned.

"I won't," Lita shot back as she ventured into the opening.

Before long, the darkness swallowed Lita. Even after a time, her eyes could not adjust to the impenetrable black.

She reached for her hip. When she found a thin cylinder on her belt, she shook it, and then snapped it. A green glow emitted from the stick and lit up the area around Lita.

The walls were red and corrugated. They dripped of what seemed like a mucous-like substance. It reminded Lita of pictures of a colonoscopy.

Lita felt a cool rush of air from behind her, and she felt the floor beneath her feet begin to move a bit.

Suddenly, in a wave of peristalsis, the cave behind her collapsed and threw Lita down the tunnel on a wave.

While being jostled down the passage, Lita wondered to herself if this was the end…if it was the fate that Samus and her crew had suffered…being swallowed up by some cave creature…just as she began to have thoughts of suicide, Lita was tossed upon a sticky floor of a rather massive room.

With the limited visibility from her glow stick, she looked behind herself. Her supposed entrance was nowhere to be seen. The sight threw her into a fit of memories…

i The walls are turning a blood red color and look to be turning moist…

None of our communicators seem to be working, and there doesn't seem to be a passage out of this room…including our point of entry…which seems to be nonexistent…/i

"This IS it," Lita said to herself, "this IS the place from those visions…that means…"

Lita's thoughts were cut off by a strange sound, then a weak moan.

Instinctively, Lita grabbed a mucous-soaked blaster from her belt and rushed toward the sound.

She seemingly flew in the dark, but as she neared the noise she caught a glimpse of something…right before it hit her.

What felt like a metal pipe caught her across the collarbone and sent her in a backward flip, landing on her stomach. As she hit the floor, her hand flopped and landed on something.

Struggling with being stunned, Lita lifted her light toward her arm…and saw another human arm!

"Ghhhh……" was the sound that escaped the mouth of the other person.

"I'm here to help," Lita forced herself to say.

"Heh…cough…that's…what I thought…cough…I was doing…" the person replied in a feminine voice.

Lita began to raise the light toward the face of the other person, but as she extended her arm, it was slammed to the ground by a claw that pierced her forearm.

She cried out in agony as a crimson flood poured from her arteries. She dropped her blaster and glow stick on the other victim as she could no longer control her hand.

She heard a voice hiss next to her head.

"Sssssssoooo….another….ssssssss…human!" the creature said, "Thissssss…issss a very good…sssss…day…yessssssss…"

"An excellent day," said the other person.

Lita saw the glow stick raise and the pulse rifle blast. Upon impact, the foul being pulled its pincer out of her arm and tripped over her legs.

It screamed in its alien tongue as Lita heard sizzling of flesh. Before she knew it, she was being lifted off of the ground.

"Look, I don't know who you are, but I'm glad to see you. The name's Aran. Captain Samus Aran, of the Galactic Federation Marines. Because of you and your little glow stick, that's the first time I've been able to catch a long enough glimpse of that bastard to kill it," Samus said.

"Sa…Samus?" Lita asked, still in shock from her wound.

"Do I know you? Eh, let's not bother with that right now, if that thing's as feisty as I think it is, it'll be back up and at its old tricks again in no time, let's try to find a way out of this pit," Samus continued.

The two walked steadily around the edge of the room until they found a small hole with air moving in and out.

"Hmm…I never noticed this…" Samus remarked.

"I….think it's alive…" Lita stammered, "maybe if we plug it up…something might happen…"

"Good idea, I've been saving this for just such an occasion," Samus said as she pulled a solitary plasma grenade from her hip pack.

She shoved it into the hole and engaged it.

"Now is when we move," Samus advised as she took Lita and guided her to the floor a few feet down the wall.

There was a flash, then a tremendous explosion of flesh and fluid into the room.

Massive exits opened along the walls, each of them with light shining through.

"No time to be picky, we've got to get out of this place while we can," Samus said as she helped Lita up one of the tunnels.

They were nearly out when they heard a hiss from behind them.

"SSSSSS…I WILL SEE YOU DIE!SSSSSSSSS!" the creature bellowed.

Just as Samus and Lita had reached the exit, Samus felt a splash on her back.

Lita turned to look, but the cave had already disappeared again.

Before long, Samus collapsed along with Lita onto the ground.

Samus went into convulsions as Lita managed to work her way out from under Samus' body.

On her back was a bubbling brown liquid that looked as if it were eating Samus' skin.

"What the heck happened?" Cade yelled as he ran over.

"She's got some kind of acid on her back, do you have anything to help her?" Lita asked urgently.

"Well, yeah, here, put this water on it," Cade said as he poured the water directly on the acid.

The brown liquid diluted and ran off of Samus' back. Her convulsions stopped and she sighed.

"Uuugh…thanks…that's much better…" Samus forced.

"Is this…" Cade started.

"Your commanding officer," Lita finished.

"Oh, crap…" Cade said.


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

LOG ENTRY 933

Cade has been on edge ever since I brought Samus out of the cave. It's like he knows that he's still going to get it when she wakes up. If we don't find a way to get off this miserable planet soon, I don't know what I'm going to do…

Lita out…

Samus had started to come around. Shortly after her convulsions stopped, she fell unconscious.

"Ugh…I feel….like I got shot in the back…" Samus moaned.

"You did," Cade responded.

Samus shot a look upward as she rapidly lifted herself off of the floor.

"YOU!" she yelled.

"No, wait! It's not what you think! I…" Cade took defense.

"Hold on, Samus," Lita interrupted.

"Who are iyou/i?" Samus shifted her focus to Lita.

"My name is Lita Anjellis. I'm Captain 2nd Rank of the Galactic Federation Chrono Unit," Lita said.

"A time shifter…" Samus muttered.

"That's right," Lita responded.

"And what would bring you here?" Samus asked as if she had been scorned.

"I had to save you," Lita replied.

"How'd you know I was here?" Samus asked.

"Well…I wasn't sure. I ended up here by accident, actually. My ship was assaulted as I neared the Alimbic Cluster, and I crashed here. Your Lance Corporal rescued me," Lita explained.

"I see…then I guess he's not totally worthless…" Samus tossed a look back at Cade.

"Please don't call me worthless…" Cade begged.

"Why not? Every conflict our team has entered, you've left the field of battle! It was only through my benevolence that you haven't been turned in for desertion!" Samus interjected.

She waited briefly for a response, but seeing none, she finished her thought.

"But I guess your instincts were the better this time. So I suppose you've dodged another bullet…no pun intended," Samus said.

"iShe still has her wit/i" Lita thought, "ithis Samus is a lot more forthright with her emotions, though./i"

"So…now what?" Samus asked.

"Don't look at me. My ship is probably nice and crispy by now," Lita responded.

Both of them shot a look at Cade.

"Well…I…there's some type of ship over that way…I don't really know how to work it," Cade said.

Just as the three had readied their supplies, Lita began to feel dizzy. She tried to shrug it off, but eventually she gave way as a massive pain struck her spine.

"I…..uuaaagh…." she said as she fell to her hands and knees.

"Ew…look at her back…" Cade said.

Blood had started drenching through the back of Lita's bodysuit.

"That's exactly where I…" Samus started.

"It….burns…" Lita forced before she passed out.

i –So no one takes the ship, we'll hide the cell inside this cave.

-Are you sure we should? Someone might find it.

-Yes, but they'll also find bit/b.

-Surely you don't plan on…

-It must be guarded closely, that way, only the bone/b can get it.

-But what about the renegade and the defect?

-The renegade should never be near here, and the defect hasn't the drive to find it.

-Then shall we go?

-Certainly./i

"mmphshfmmph…waking up. Are you okay?" a mangled voice penetrated Lita's dulled senses.

"Wh…what?" Lita managed.

"Are you okay," Samus asked.

"Yeah, I guess…now I know what you mean about getting shot in the back…" Lita said as she sat up.

"That is bizarre…your wound looks identical to hers…" Cade commented, "but I didn't see you get hit, you shouldn't be hurt…"

"I've had all kinds of crazy things happening to me lately, from the visions to the gash on my arm…" Lita started.

"Gash on your arm? Show me…" Samus interrupted.

At the same time, both women bared their left forearms revealing two identical vertical slashes.

"You…" Lita said, "but why didn't you get the same injury I have?"

"I don't know…but it seems like you reflect my injuries…" Samus replied.

"But why…it didn't do this before…" Lita scrunched her forehead in thought.

"Maybe it's a side effect of time travel," Samus tried to reason.

"It's never been documented…but then again…there's never been such a dramatic alteration of the continuum like this…it seems that I'm linked to you…" Lita said.

"Then I suppose I might need to take better care of myself…for your sake," Samus remarked.

"That's going to be tough…the bad news is…we have to go back to the cave…" Lita sighed.

"You can't be serious…" Cade complained.


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

LOG ENTRY 934

Despite the severity of my wounds, I've healed nicely in such a short amount of time.

We've been camped outside of the cave for two nights. The openings for the cave have slowly opened and are almost large enough to enter again.

From what I can gather, the cave itself is an organism, and the creature inside must be the guardian of the power cell for the ship.

The question is…where is the power cell?

Lita out…

"Can you take us to that ship?" Lita asked.

"Yeah, I suppose I can, why?" Cade responded.

"There might be something in there we can use. I'd rather not go back into that cave unprepared," Lita said.

"I agree. If we're going back in, we'll need some better weapons. That thing moves fast in the dark," Samus concurred.

"I haven't figured out how to get into the…"

"Just take us to the freakin' ship," Lita interrupted.

"Rahr!" Cade responded with a claw-like gesture as he picked up his pack and started walking.

Samus and Lita rolled their eyes and followed him.

The three made their way into a dense overgrowth. After several minutes of dodging thorns and ducking under vines, they made their way to a shiny yellow vessel.

"Not bad at all, considering the kudzu all wrapped around it," Samus remarked.

"It's just like…the…ship," Lita trailed off as she ran her hand along the shimmering hull.

"Just like what ship?" Cade asked.

"Samus's ship…" Lita returned.

"MY ship? Can't say I have my own, although that wouldn't be such a bad idea, and if I had to choose one, this free one wouldn't be all that bad," Samus commented.

"So why did you want me to bring you here?" Cade inquired.

Lita walked over and reached for something under the edge of the ship.

After a moment, a leak of gas escaped from a compartment as a cover lifted with a hiss.

"This…" Lita said as she stepped back revealing a cylindrical device.

"And that would be…?" Samus probed.

"Well, Samus, I think you should be the one to take it. It's meant for you, afterall," Lita commented.

"Meant for me? What do you mean?" Samus asked, puzzled.

"First, you have the best military training possible, plus with your…special genetics…you would be able to operate it better," Lita explained.

"What is it?" Cade inquired as he reached for the item.

"It's a weapon…an arm cannon," Lita said.

Cade's arm halted as Samus quickly snatched up the device.

"So I stick my hand in here?" Samus asked, holding up the blaster.

As Samus took hold inside the cylinder, it hummed quietly.

"I feel…static, or something," Samus said.

"Don't worry, that just means that it's activated," Lita explained.

"How do you work it?" Samus asked.

"I'm not really sure. I never used one. I idid/i always want a power suit with one, though. Just experiment a little bit, but don't aim at us," Lita replied.

Samus aimed upward for several seconds, but nothing happened. She tried pointing around and even yelling "Shoot!" at the cannon, but still came up empty.

"This is POINTLESS! If this thing won't work, I might as well just get rid of it!" Samus yelled as she reached over and tried to remove the device.

She placed her hand on the top and tensed her arm.

A black burnt spot sizzled on the ground between Cade's legs. Cade looked up with astonishment. He was beyond words.

"I don't think it's broken…" Lita commented.

"I think I know how it works…" Samus added.

"YA THINK!" Cade exploded as he stomped off into the overgrowth.

--------------------------------

After about an hour of "target practice", Samus had effectively cleared the area of kudzu and vines.

"Is this all we needed?" Samus asked.

"Should be, especially now that you've got the hang of it," Lita said, "now let's get back to the cave."

"Why exactly are we going back into the cave? I…" Samus started.

A yell attracted Samus and Lita's attention. They immediately took off toward the scream. Eventually they came back to the front of the brush to see Cade convulsing on the ground.

His eyes had rolled back into his head and his skin was changing color. Spiky protrusions extended from his forearms and shoulders as claws grew from his fingertips. He let forth painful grunts that had a distorted sound.

All of the sudden, he sat up and his eyes rolled back forward. He erupted into a primeval howl as the protrusions sucked back into his body and the claws retracted as his skin returned to a normal flesh color.

After a brief moment of hesitation, Cade rolled over and vomited onto the ground.

"Are you okay?" Lita asked as she ran over to his aid.

"Oh…my…God…what…was that?" Cade stammered.

"What did you do before that happened?" Lita interrogated.

"Some…nasty yellowish stuff…fell off of that tree over there…and onto my…shoulder," Cade explained.

"X…but how? Do you feel okay now?" Lita inquired.

"Yeah, now that I got THAT out of me," Cade gestured toward his puddle of regurgitation.

"His body rejected it," Samus inserted.

"I see, but why? He IS human, right?" Lita shot back.

"As long as I've known him, but then again, I've only had him in my unit for a few months," Samus shrugged.

"Come on, let's get back in that cave and get what we need out of it," Lita said as she helped Cade to his feet.

Samus, Cade, and Lita all walked into the entrance to the cave. The floor was more rigid than before, but just as slimy.

Before long, they made it to the dark center chamber.

"iaaaaah…it isss the three…the renegade…the defect…and could thisss be? The One? Curiousss…. Thisss we mussst dissscover…/i"


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

The creature crept around the three as they stood still. They could hear it sniffing the air, getting whiffs of their scents. It seemed as if he was familiar with them already.

"ino doubt you have come…ssssssssssss…for the ssssssscell…/i"

"How do you…" Cade started, but was interrupted by a hand covering his mouth.

"We have. How do you know us?" Lita asked.

"iyou are the disssciplesss of the massster…you and only you are able to get the sssssscell…/i"

"We have no master. What are you talking about?" Samus blurted.

"ihe isss not byour/b massster, but mine…he createsss thossse who dessstroy…/i"

"I am no creation of a master, creature. You must be mistaken," Samus said.

"iyou are undoubtedly the onesss…the renegade…the defect…and the chosssen one…/i"

"What do you mean by that?" Lita asked.

"iyou…child…are…the one…and he isss…the renegade…and the other one…ssshe isss the defect…/i"

"Defect! Explain yourself, beast!" Samus demanded.

"iI wasss not put here to exsssplain…but you…are the massstersss failed prototype…the defect…the firssst to live…the firssst to disssobey…the massster disssposssed of you quickly…/i"

Samus stood flabbergasted. Her arms were at her sides and her free fist was clenched.

Lita reached over and touched Samus' shoulder.

"Creature, what about us? He and I?" Lita asked.

"iyou…are the one…the perfect being…the massstersss finessst creation…you were lossst to the massster…in an attack…your…vesssssel took you away…/i"

"Vessel?" the word could barely escape Lita's lips.

"iand…he isss….the renegade…the rogue…he refussssed to fight…he came after the one…he wasss a near copy…with…modificationsss…he essscaped from the massster…/i"

"But what are you?" Cade asked.

"ii…am…the…keeper…/i"

With that, a green glow emanated from the creature, who was now fully visible.

The illumination penetrated the glassy eyes of the froglike humanoid. Reverse jointed legs extended out from a fleshy lump of a torso, as did two arms, one with a hand, the other with a single sharp claw. The mouth was quite large for the size of the body. Small razor sharp teeth extended every few inches along the jawbones.

"That's the cell…it's inside this thing…" Lita observed.

"Then I guess it's time to get it," Samus said as she lifted the arm cannon.

The creature let forth a grotesque noise as it jumped at Samus.

She let loose one shot that connected with the creature's chest, sending him hurtling backwards. In a final correction of balance, the creature flipped over and skidded on its feet along the ground.

"What IS this thing!" Samus yelled.

"Try again, Samus!" Lita said back.

Samus rapidly fired the cannon, but the shots seemingly had no effect on the approaching monster.

After several shots, Samus stopped firing. The arm cannon was illuminated with a red heat and sizzled.

Lita brandished a plasma pistol and sent a shot toward the keeper, but it immediately took notice and dodged it.

The creature bounded and kicked Lita in the chest as it quickly changed direction and tackled Samus.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!" Cade screamed.

"Cade! Cade! Where are you?" Lita looked around frantically, but couldn't find him.

"ii…ssssee now that you are not…ssssssssss…worthy…/i" said the beast as he raised his claw into the air.

Samus lie helpless on the floor with her arms pinned by the keeper's legs.

iBut Samus? Why the military? You could do so much more by going to college and getting your degree.

Welcome to the Galactic Federation military, Private Aran, I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure this experience is a living hell for you, you get that! A LIVING HELL!

Due to outstanding performance in the line of duty, we award Lance Corporal Samus Aran the rank of Sergeant.

What do you plan to do now, Commander Aran? You have your own unit.

You may or may not come back from this mission, is that understood Commander Aran. We know you're prepared to do what is necessary for the betterment of the Galactic Federation…/i

"No."

After a splatter of fluid hit Samus in the face, she snapped back to reality.

In front of her, she saw a hand in a fist, dripping with slime. After focusing, she saw that the had was through the throat of the keeper, from behind it.

Cade then stood, lifting the creature into the air. With his other hand, he ripped the fuel cell out of the creature's abdominal cavity. He then tossed the carcass aside.

Samus and Lita sat in amazement.

"No way I'm letting something that ugly take out my commanding officer," Cade uttered.

"Apology accepted," Samus sighed.


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

LOG ENTRY 935

The change in Cade was dramatic. He's always been cowardly, but in a flash, he was a killing machine. He literally moved so quickly, I couldn't see him.

What baffles me even more is that "the keeper" seemed to realize a connection among the three of us. I knew Samus and I were connected, but I didn't even know about Cade…

Lita out…

Cade helped Samus up.

"Now what?" he asked.

"We need to take that fuel cell to the ship so we can get the heck off of this planet," Lita said.

"Fuel cell? That's what this is?" Samus nearly choked.

"Don't worry. It's not radioactive. It's a new kind of energy, clean and extremely potent, yet entirely stable," Lita explained.

"What is it?" Samus was perplexed.

"Vilonium…" Lita sighed, then started walking out of the cave.

The entire way to the ship, Cade was silent. He still held the fuel cell, and his arm still dripped with entrails.

When the trio arrived at the ship, Cade froze and slowly looked around.

"What's wrong, Cade?" Lita asked, only to be silenced by a finger to her lips.

"Take this and do what you have to do, but do it quickly, we're in a trap…" Cade said.

"So you see it, too…" Samus remarked.

"Yeah, I'll go left…" Cade whispered.

"Right," Samus breathed as she moved to the right.

Lita wanted to say something, but only stood silently. She looked to Cade for a response, and he shot her a look that screamed "HURRY!".

She tripped backwards over a broken vine and crashed to the ground under the fuel cell. Knowing this was where she needed to be anyway, she rolled the cell along the ground and crept under the ship. She touched a hatch that decompressed and slid away revealing a slightly large cylindrical opening. Lita lifted the cell to the opening where a vacuum took hold. The container was sucked inside and the hatch closed.

A breeze began blowing in Lita's face as she ship rose to a hover.

Suddenly, plasma shots filled the air as humanoid creatures with pincer-like arms jumped from the foliage.

Out of nowhere, a body landed next to Lita. The creature had a greenish carapace and its head had nearly been torn from its body. She looked up to behold a group of the creatures attacking Cade.

He grabbed them one by one and was dashing them into the ground and tossing them into the air.

Lita's attention was diverted by a stray plasma blast. She turned her head to see Samus blasting holes into a plethora of creatures.

Samus screamed toward Lita, "Are we set to go?"

"Yeah! Should be! Let me open the cabin!" Lita returned.

"Get on with it! These pirates are eventually going to get to us!" Cade yelled.

Lita nodded as she pulled herself up from the ground and jumped onto the top of the ship. The cabin automatically opened and Lita gave a signal to Samus and Cade.

Both jumped from their positions to the top of the ship and disappeared inside the cabin of the ship.

"You know how to fly this thing?" Samus asked.

"Probably…" Lita answered.

"Probably?" Cade questioned.

"Yeah," Lita returned as the ship jerked and began to rise.

"I suppose we might fasten our belts then," Samus smirked.

Cade cocked an eyebrow as the ship slung itself into the sky. It sliced through the dense clouds overhead and soared into the atmosphere, and then into space.

"Where are we going?" Samus asked.

"To meet an old friend…" Lita said.

Lita checked the controls, and of course, there was a hyperdrive system. After a brief warning, she engaged it and the ship streaked out of the Rho Quadrant in the direction of Vhazon.

Within a few minutes, the planet came into view. The normally barren and docile surface of the planet was being marred with fire and explosions…it was under siege!

Lita recognized something amidst the chaos: the giant ship from the Alimbic Cluster. It was the one that had shot her down.

The ship stood in all of its organic grandeur in shallow geosynchronous orbit. Pieces of the ship were "detatching" and falling toward the Vhazonian surface.

"What IS that thing?" Samus asked.

"It's evidently the "bad guys"," Lita remarked, "but then again, if it were not for that ship, I never would have found you."

"What kind of ship would that be? It looks alive…" Samus said.

"My thought is that it IS alive. We've really got to get to the surface and find Adam," Lita explained.

"Whoa, wait. Adam? Adam Malkovich?" Samus inquired.

"None other," Lita responded as she took the ship in to land.

As the ship neared the surface, purple and green orbs flew past and struck several of the "detatchments", vaporizing them and sending any leftover globules back into the vacuum of space.

Upon landing, the three exited the ship to behold the sources of the green and purple orbs.

Several gun emplacements were scattered along the ground, and commanding officers were spouting orders to the troops and gunners.

"Don't let a single one get through! We can't have those things getting to the city!" one cried.

"Sir! Galactic Federation Captain 2nd Rank Lita Anjellis, and Vice General Samus Aran. We're here to help, sir, but first, we have to find Adam Malkovich," Lita shouted over the blasts.

"Good to have you Captain, Vice General. I'm Commander Jarrek Blantz. Malkovich is over on the third gun. Just don't distract him too much, we can't have any of those bugs make it to the surface!" Blantz said.

"Bugs?" Lita asked.

"X parasites. Those are some nasty things, but they hate Vilonium! We have plenty of that, so we're in luck, but if we miss, it won't exactly be a good day," Blantz explained.

"Yes, sir! We'll hurry," Samus said as they rushed to Adam's gun.

"Ah, you're back! And I see you've found Samus! Good job!" Adam commented.

"What's going on! How are the X here, and how did they take over that ship!" Lita yelled.

"Those aren't your everyday X. Something's different about them. Something tells me that they've got a little Metroid to them," Adam yelled back.

"How could that happen! The metroids feed on the X!" Lita was confused.

"All I can guess is that they must have had a little 'help' along the way, if you know what I mean!" Adam shook as his gun launched another orb.

"But how could that happen!" Lita asked, dumbfounded.

"Maybe a certain benefactor?" Adam suggested.

"You don't mean….but he's dead…" Lita's forehead scrunched as she looked toward the massive ship in the sky.


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

"Good to see you again, Samus," said Adam as he launched another Vilonium orb into the atmosphere.

"Good to see you again, too, sir," Samus saluted.

"Why bother with that? I'm not your superior anymore," Adam smirked.

"You were more than just my superior, sir…you were my mentor," she replied.

"Samus…why do you look up to me so much?" Adam shook again.

"You were like a father to me, and you were the best soldier the Galactic Federation could ever ask for…" Samus replied without wavering.

"Sometimes being great and a good soldier accomplishes nothing. You could earn all of the medals and awards possible in the G.F. military and it wouldn't mean squat out in the universe," Adam turned completely toward Samus.

"What do you mean?" she asked with semi-glazed eyes.

"As long as you have a commanding officer, you'll never realize your true potential," Adam said.

"What are you trying to say, sir?" Samus was nearly confused, and wished her instincts were wrong.

"You have the passion to become something great, just like I did when I was your age, but I made a mistake, I didn't make a name for myself. I became a military unit, government property. Don't become a puppet like I was Samus, another numerical unit under Federation mandate. You're much too talented for that, and you still have time to do something else, and now is probably the best time for it…" Adam explained.

"What would you suggest I do instead?" Samus probed, almost with tears forming in her eyes as her mentor told her to deny everything she had grown to respect in him.

"Become a freelancer, a bounty hunter. It's a respectable enough job, and the pay is pretty good. It'll give you the chance to make a difference on your own terms. It'll be an escape from all the bureaucratic st that you see every day. Isn't that what you want deep down inside? Listen to me, Samus," He said slowly. "There's a fire in you that can't be satisfied by police work. If you remain you'll burn yourself out to a hollow existence and I don't believe in letting talent go to waste. You have a future; you have the chance to better the galaxy, much more than I ever could have dreamed of doing."

Samus stared blankly back at Adam and then shot a look at Cade, who merely raised an eyebrow. She then looked at Lita.

Lita looked down at her own jacket and ripped the Galactic Federation patch off of her shoulder. She tossed it at Samus' feet.

Samus looked at the patch, then looked back at Lita just in time to catch a single tear streaking down her cheek.

"It's your time, Samus. Be who you were meant to be," Lita said.

"I guess I have to trust her on this one, sir. She's been right about everything so far," Samus sighed back to Adam as she ripped her own G.F. patch from her jacket.

"Now that you've taken care of that," he said, "you can call me Adam."

"Okay…Adam…" Samus said hesitantly, almost waiting to be disciplined.

"Now, Lita," Adam turned his attention.

"Yes?" she responded.

"You'd be curious to know that we stumbled upon some strange ruins toward the bottom of the village. They'd be really easy to spot once you got down there. I really think Samus ought to check them out," he suggested as he gave Lita a peculiar look.

She tilted her head slightly and squinted an eye.

"Okay…I guess we'll have to get right on that…" Lita returned.

"What is he talking about?" Samus asked Lita.

"I'm not completely sure if I want to believe him, but I do have an idea…" Lita said as she started walking toward the cave without turning her head.

-----------------------------------------------

The trio descended through the tunnel and made their way into the opening that was the town. They took care in descending the carved out ladders and steps in the stone until they reached a rather large landing.

At the end of the landing stood a single guard in front of an ornately glyphed doorway.

"I trust that master Adam sent you," the guard said.

"Yes, but…how did you know," Lita asked.

"He's the only one that's been down here uncovering these ruins. He's taken great care in maintaining that and expressly told me that only people he sends will come here," the guard explained.

"May we enter?" Samus inquired.

"Yes. Just be careful and respectful of his work. Everything inside is delicate," warned the guard as he stepped aside.

The passages inside the ruin were extremely tall, but only wide enough for just more than a large human's width.

They proceeded through a maze of passageways until they finally reached a dead end.

"What is this?" Cade asked.

"It looks like a strange hole in the wall, almost like a keyhole…but what could the key be?" Samus observed.

"Your arm cannon, Samus. Stick it in there. My guess is that it'll fit perfectly," Lita commented.

Samus thrust her arm forward, and the wall took hold of her arm cannon.

Dust shook off of the surface as a circular stone uncovered itself around the hole. It twisted and caused the wall to recess and pull away. As it did, it released Samus' cannon.

Inside was a strangely illuminated room. A sphere stood at the back and projected small circles of yellow-orange light that lit the room similar to a torch.

"No way…" Samus uttered.

"What?" Cade asked.

"This is the place…the place they told me about long ago…" Samus said.

"That's right, Samus. These are Chozo ruins," Lita replied.

"iCltiu ylha ilthy rifin henh elfritifatij zho heedach nu phah fithif/i" Samus muttered.

"iSathc hiflfi shaflij hahrsy afilihu wiha/i" Lita responded.

Samus snapped her head around to look at Lita.

"You know the tongue?" Samus whispered.

"I learned it from you…" Lita spoke nearly inaudibly.

"What are you guys saying? You sound like a bunch of birds…" Cade interrupted.

"Nothing, nothing…" Samus turned back toward the orb.

She walked up to it and ran her hand across the outside.

The texture was that of an incredibly smooth metal. It retained its nearly oily contour despite its apparent age.

"Stand back," Samus said as she backed up herself.

She aimed carefully and fired a single shot at the orb.

A twinkling explosion followed as bits and pieces of the metal covering connected with the walls of the room.

When everyone stopped shielding their eyes, they beheld a smaller, but more luminous sphere surrounded by two crossing circles. The increased glow also revealed more about the chamber.

The sphere sat in the hands of a massive stone stature carved in the likeness of a humanoid bird.

"iCltiu ylha ilthy rifin henh elfritifatij zho heedach nu phah fithif/i," Samus muttered again, "Behold, the weapon against those who seek to do us harm."

"This is it, then?" Lita asked.

"Yes, it is," Samus answered.

LOG ENTRY 936

The transformation was incredible! As Samus touched her arm cannon to the sphere, a coat of what looked like liquid gold spread over her entire body and covered it. A flash of light then blinded Cade and I for a moment before we saw the final result.

Samus was encased in a magnificent suit of armor!

Maybe now we can finally put and end to "him".

Lita out…


	12. Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12

"Okay...what now?" came a muffled voice from inside the armor.

"Well, we obviously can't solve our problem from down here on the planet," Lita said.

"I think we need to go back outside…" Cade muttered as he looked back.

"What's wrong, Cade? Don't like small tunnels?" Samus joked.

"No. Something is happening out there," Cade replied in a very cold tone.

A silence fell in the corridor and the air seemed to stand still. Where there had been a steady vibration and the chattering of the town inside the cavern, now there was a strange sense of emptiness.

The trio turned and exited the ruins. When they emerged, the guard was nowhere to be seen.

They slowly made their way up the stairs and to the final ladder.

With a motion of his hand, Cade signaled that he should go first.

What he beheld at over the edge of the bluff was something that penetrated deep within his psyche.

The large entrance to the town was completely sealed off. Spanning the width of the entrance was what looked like a massive worm-like creature with protruding spikes and fangs around its mouth. Reaching out of the mouth were several long tentacles, each with a Vhazonian villager in its slimy grasp.

A mere glance down to the women was all it took for them to realize the impending danger.

The Vhazonian defenses had been breached.

Upon further inspection, Cade noticed that the creature had no eyes. It must have relied on vibrations and movement to capture its prey.

Cade slinked back down the ladder.

"That thing is massive…" Cade said.

"What is it?" Lita probed.

"It's some big worm thing. I don't know how many it has killed already, but it has several villagers in its tentacles. It doesn't have eyes, but we have to be careful nonetheless," Cade explained.

"You seem to know what you're talking about," Samus dug for more info.

"Yeah…I fought one back on that planet in the Alimbic Cluster," Cade shrugged.

"And?" Samus raised an eyebrow.

"I wasn't really equipped to handle it. It didn't like water, but there doesn't seem to be a lot of it down here," Cade confessed.

"Well then, I guess it's my turn to give it a shot," Samus relented.

Samus scaled the ladder and stood in plain "sight" of the worm.

The creature seemingly took no notice as it continued to eat the villagers one by one.

A blast shot across the cavern and severed one of the tentacles, sending a male villager crashing to the ground.

The worm let forth a tremendous roar that shook the walls and caused several stalactites to fall from the ceiling.

Samus somersaulted onto the busted top of one of the conical stones and unleashed a flurry of shots toward the mouth of the beast. One by one, the villagers fell to the ground.

The creature moaned as it no longer had any tentacles.

"It's okay to come up," Samus shouted.

Cade and Lita emerged over the edge, but nearly fell back off.

"What are you waiting for! Kill it!" Lita yelled.

"Now what good would that do? It's blocking the entrance," Samus reasoned.

"Well what are we going to do, then?" Lita asked flabbergasted.

"First we have to get those villagers out of the way. They're paralyzed," Cade said.

"Nerotoxins on the tentacles?" Samus asked.

"Yup." Cade responded.

Lita and Cade took up the few villagers and brought them toward one of the cubby holes.

Samus approached the massive worm.

She noticed that one of the horns around the monster's mouth was a blood red color.

"You guys might stay over there for a while," Samus shouted.

She backed up and once again took her place on the top of one of the fallen stalactites.

She took aim.

Then she unleashed a shot directly at the red horn.

Upon contact, the horn exploded into a crimson splash that splattered on the walls of the cave and all over the ground.

The worm screeched and the cave began to shake.

After only a few seconds, the worm busted through the ill-fitting entrance and lunged into the cave directly at Samus.

Samus stood motionless and simply stared at the hulk as it streaked toward her.

At the last moment, Samus leapt into the air, flipped once and spun around, firing a shot into the base of a stalactite.

The worm chomped on Samus' former perch, then met its fate as the falling cave formation plunged through its head.

Samus landed on the ground near Cade and Lita, then stood and turned to face them.

"Wh…wow…" Lita stammered.

"Nice one," Cade commented.

"You weren't able to do that before…" Lita forced out.

"It's amazing what this suit can do to amplify military training and martial arts…I'm impressed myself," Samus said.

"We need to get outside," Cade interrupted.

As they proceeded up the tunnel, they could still hear the blasting sounds of several cannons.

The scene that welcomed them at the top of the tunnel was like no other.

Smoke rose from the ground as the fires that made it blazed. Explosions rocked the night sky as Vilonium orbs continued to splash against the falling onslaught.

In the midst of the gun turrets and soldiers, a single flag waved, tattered, torn, and singed.

"…bombs bursting in air…gave proof through the night…" the words slipped through Lita's lips, almost as a reflex.

She never denied her heritage, especially being the only Chrono Unit member ever born on the surface of a planet.

"Ah! Samus! I see you found it!" a voice snapped Lita from her trance.

"Is this what you sent us down there after?" Samus said back.

"Now you know I wouldn't have sent you down there just to check out my little living space, now did you?" Adam replied.

"Well now what do we need to do?" Lita asked.

"That's totally up to you. We probably need to try to get you on that ship, if you ask me," Adam advised.

"Sounds great, but how are we going to do it? It looks like it's completely covered with the X parasite," Samus observed.

"We can take care of that for you. We'll carpet bomb that bastard long enough for you to get inside," Adam said.

"No way we let you do that. It's taking all you have just to hold off the X that's falling," Samus shook her head.

"Last time I checked, you weren't the one in charge here, Ex-Commander Aran. Remember, you are no longer a part of the Galactic Federation Military. I, on the other hand, never quit, and was never discharged, so I think I'm the one that calls the shots," Adam scathed.

"I think he's got you there," Cade interjected.

"Shut up, Cade," Samus said.

"Whatever," he returned.

"Now go, get in that ship of yours and get up there. You'll see where to go," Adam ordered.

"I can't just…" Samus started.

"You listen to me, girl. Don't you let these men and women die in vain. Many have already given their lives to save this planet, and all of the rest of them still believe in making that same sacrifice. They might not know enough about you to believe in you, but I do. I know you never enjoyed letting me down when I trained you. Even though it was only a few times, you tore yourself up over it. Don't disappoint me, Samus," Adam said as he turned and manned his turret once more.

"But Adam!" Samus yelled.

Adam continued to fire away on his cannon, ignoring everything else.

Samus gazed through her tears at her proud mentor. Despite what her heart told her, she knew that he only had the best in mind.

A jerk on her arm forced her to break her concentration, but not her tears.

"We have to go, Samus," Lita said as she tugged.

The three wearily made their way to the ship and took off.

The Vilonium shells created turbulence as they shot by and evaporated the massive globules of X.

As they neared the bottom of the hull, orb after orb sunk deep into the aqueous barrier. Flashes of light could be seen through the translucent liquid, then it receded, revealing a standard steel panel.

The next orb ripped a hole in the armor just large enough for the group to land inside.

As the three exited the ship, they noticed that the light from the explosions lit their makeshift hangar…but soon the light disappeared as the X regenerated and covered their entrance.

The darkness welcomed them wholeheartedly…


	13. Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

"I…can't see…" said Lita.

"Neither can I," Samus responded.

"I can," Cade replied.

"You can?" Lita asked.

"Always could. Kinda weird, huh?" Cade uttered, "Follow my footsteps and listen to me."

Cade walked forward and up a ramp. Lita and Samus followed, both stumbling on the incline at first.

"Shield your eyes," Cade ordered.

There was a loud clang, followed by the sizzle of electricity.

"You should be able to see now," Cade said.

As they opened their eyes, Samus and Lita beheld a massive munitions storage compartment, still filled to the brim with conventional weaponry.

"This…is the storage bay of a Federation Battle Cruiser!" Lita exclaimed.

"This is not just any battle cruiser…I know this ship…it's the Azure Eagle…Adam's old ship…" Samus remarked.

"So that's why…they didn't shoot it down…" Lita sighed.

"Exactly. That means he must have an A.I. still uploaded into the mainframe. If it hasn't been corrupted by the X, then we should be able to retake the ship with little effort," Samus explained.

"We just have to find an A.I. communiqué device," Lita said.

"There should be one at the end of this corridor," Cade interjected.

"How do you know?" Samus asked.

"I helped build this thing," Cade returned.

The three proceeded through the door and down the wide hallway.

"Stop," Cade ordered as he threw an arm out to the side.

He looked up and then thrust his arm into the metal plating in the ceiling. He dug his fingers in and ripped the panel from its hold.

"Look, the wires have been severed…" Lita said.

"I think I know what this means…" Samus commented.

"Yeah, they're holding Abby captive in the system by cutting her off from the rest of the ship…" Cade explained.

"Abby?" Lita asked.

"The A.I. unit, it was molded after Adam's deceased daughter," Cade frowned.

"Oh…" Lita trailed off.

"Then we have to make it to the bridge…but to get there, we have to go through the combat bays and engineering," Samus said.

"In that case, where do we need to start?" Lita asked.

"Probably this elevator shaft," Samus replied.

"I got it," Cade responded.

He gripped the inside of the powerless doors and pried them open.

"It's at the top. Looks like we'll have to climb," Cade remarked.

"That's fine, I'll make my own way," Samus said as she entered and began flipping and rebounding off of the walls.

Cade shrugged and dug his fingers and feet into the walls as he climbed the side of the shaft.

"You guys are weird," Lita said as she grabbed the elevator cable and started her ascension.

Before long, the three reached the elevator, which had seemingly been wedged inside the shaft, just above one of the landings.

Samus flipped and took to the cable as well.

"Cade, we'll need you for this," she said.

"I'm on it," Cade said as he slammed his feet into the wall for a good hold. He rolled his neck and cracked his shoulders, and then he thrust his palms into the doors, forcing them from the facing and sending them flying down the hallway.

"Geez, so much for sneaking up on anybody," Lita sighed.

As the trio entered the hallway, they surveyed their surroundings.

"This is the entrance to the combat bays, engineering is on the other side, then the stairway to the bridge," Samus said.

"Can't we access the computer system in engineering?" Lita asked.

"Hypothetically, yes, but if they've disconnected the core from the rest of the ship, it wouldn't do us much good," Samus returned.

"Well how about this, you and Cade can head on to the bridge. I'll go to engineering and see what I can do with the system. If I don't have any luck, I'll catch up to you," Lita said.

"If you think you can handle it," Samus replied.

Lita nodded her head and took off down the hallway.

-----------------------------

Samus and Cade both continued slowly through the maze of combat bays. Many were filled with ammo boxes, others with weapons, and still others with workout equipment. The bays were meant to serve as combat simulators so the soldiers could receive training en route to any conflicts.

As they entered the final bay, the doors closed behind them.

"Nice to welcome you aboard my craft. It looks as if you're out of practice, so allow me to bring you up to speed," a voice said out of the darkness.

"Samus! Move!" Cade yelled as Samus hit the floor.

The sound of a sweeping metal blade sliced through the darkness.

Samus could see nothing, but Cade saw their opponent.

A bionic creation loomed over Samus. It had a blade for one hand and an arm cannon for the other. It had the blade raised, poised to make another strike.

As the arm started to swing down, Cade intercepted it.

The android swung around to meet its new foe.

Cade locked up with the machine, which seemingly matched his strength.

A sudden blast briefly lit the room as the android fired at Cade.

Samus could finally see!

"Cade! Make it shoot again!" Samus called out.

Cade reached and clutched the arm cannon of the machine and squeezed with all of his might. He couldn't crush the weapon, but bent it enough to activate the autofire function.

The android stumbled around uncontrollably as the high-powered cannon spouted burst after burst of plasma energy.

Samus took aim and fired a single shot at the machine.

The shot connected with the head and easily removed it from the body…which continued to stumble and fire.

"That didn't quite do it, Samus!" Cade warned.

"No, I've got this," Samus uttered.

She fired three consecutive shots, one blew off the gun arm, another, the blade arm, and then the third ripped the torso from the legs.

The only sound remaining was the sizzling of the plasma cannon. The bay was no longer dark. The plasma beam had cut holes in the walls and ceiling of the room to allow light to enter.

"That was a set-up. They know we're here," Cade said.

"That means Lita…" Samus started.

"No, she can take care of herself. We've got to get to that bridge and figure out who's driving this thing," Cade interrupted.

----------------------------------

Lita trotted down the scarcely lit corridors until she saw a room emitting a bluish glow.

"That's gotta be the mainframe," she said to herself out loud.

"You know, there are some toys that little kids aren't allowed to use," a voice came from behind her.

Lita spun around, but nothing was there.

"But then again, how will children learn if we don't allow them to discover for themselves?" the voice continued, once again from behind Lita.

Now excessively paranoid, Lita rushed into the room and beheld a small image suspended in what looked like an electronic barrier.

The image appeared to be a human tucked in the fetal position. It was no more than five inches tall.

"Abby?" Lita asked.

The small figure broke its position and stood cringing.

"Who's there? Not the bad man again…who are you?" the small figure said.

"I am Lita. I'm here to help you. I…" Lita started.

"Lita, you have to leave, the bad man made it where I can't help you," Abby responded.

"But I'm here to help fix that. Can you tell me what he did to you?" Lita prompted.

"Its that bad stuff. The X. It's all around me and all inside. I can't make the Eagle do what I want it to do…" Abby sighed.

"Is there anything you ican/i do?" Lita inquired.

"I can give you something that the bad man hates," Abby responded.

A drawer slid out from a cabinet to reveal an injection gun that held a clip of glowing blue liquid.

"What is this?" Lita asked as she picked up the weapon.

"That's the stuff the soldiers used when they went to Lavalos. It keeps them from getting hot around the lava. The bad man must not like the cold, since he destroyed all of the rest of the blue stuff," Abby replied.

"It's got to be him…" Lita said, "Where is he?"

"He's on the bridge. Oh, and if you can, could you please get the X out of the engines. If you can, I can take care of the rest of it," Abby answered.

Lita glanced at the gun, back at Abby, then took off toward the bridge for what she hoped was the final showdown…she just hoped she wasn't too late.


	14. Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

Samus and Cade quietly approached the main door to the bridge. They nodded to each other as Cade ripped the door from its frame and tossed it aside. As they stepped inside, Samus froze.

"It…can't be…" Samus stuttered.

"Yes, my child, I'm afraid it can," replied a tall, lanky figure.

"Heh, heh, heh, yes. You know, I'm rather adept at making the impossible possible," said a more humanoid figure to the side.

"You're the…creator," Cade stammered.

"Very good, I see you remember me, Renegade…" the wiry figure acknowledged.

"Barely," Cade sighed.

Lita jumped through the doorway and pointed her gun directly at the humanoid figure, totally ignoring the other.

"Stay where you are, Marcusson! So help me God, I'm going to watch you die this time!" Lita yelled.

"Lita, stand down," Samus said.

"NO WAY! I've got to get rid of this beast before he screws up anything else!" Lita defied Samus as she kept her eyes on her target.

"Lita, I said stand down. Look over there," Samus pointed.

"What else could I possibly…I…what…a Chozo?" Lita lowered her weapon.

"Ichthi lith ilji laifth athlti," murmured the birdlike creature as it stepped into better light.

"Chlati flilit ihith iti," Cade, Samus, and Lita all replied in unison.

"Wait, what…what was that?" Lita shook her head.

"Ah, my One, the one I lost, it is your native tongue," the Chozo answered.

"I don't know what you're taking about," Lita huffed.

"I believe you do. I think my Vessel explained it all to you. Your Carrier escaped her confines before you came to term. She caused you to be lost to me, and because of that, she suffered a terrible death, the same one that you were likely to face if it were not for the Defect," the ancient explained.

"How do you know about that…" Lita breathed.

"Know about what?" Samus asked, "What is he talking about, Lita?"

"Why did you say that? If you know how I came to be, then why did you tell her! She doesn't know!" Lita screamed as tears began streaming down her cheeks.

"Lita! Tell me, what is he talking about?" Samus removed her helmet, fighting back her own tears.

"I can't tell you again! I've already gone through that once, and I just can't!" Lita bawled.

"Hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm….ha…ha…hahahaHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I love this! I haven't had to lift a finger and you're already in pain! This is too good," Marcusson bellowed.

"You bastard! You're enjoying this? I'm going to kill you NOW!" Lita shouted as she lunged toward him.

The Chozo's long arm intercepted her in mid-flight.

As she contacted his limb, she flashed a glance at him.

In her eyes, he saw her yearning, her pain, her rage, her all-consuming bloodlust…everything he had bestowed upon her during her creation…then he saw it in action.

Lita swirled around the arm and then seemingly disappeared. Nearly instantly, the arm was severed from the Chozo's body. It screeched in pain.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING! I CREATED YOU!" it said.

She reappared next to Samus and Cade, dropping the gushing arm to the floor.

"You tried to play God, now you're going to suffer the deaths of all those for which you are responsible," Lita replied in a chilling tone.

At this, the Chozo charged at Lita. A loud scraping left gashes in the metal walls, but Lita was nowhere to be found once again.

Suddenly, piece by piece, the Chozo's rigid carapace-like armor began flying off. The sound of ripping flesh encompassed the room. After all of the armor had been removed, the creature was split in two at the torso, sending the upper body into the air. As it reached its apex of flight, it splintered into hundreds of miniscule bits of flesh. The legs simply stood where they last held life.

Lita finally reappeared, dripping in Chozo blood.

"Lita…" Samus forced.

"Quite impressive. I can honestly say that I've never seen anything like it. A very good show, to say the least," Marcusson laughed.

"Before I kill you, I want to know one thing…" Lita started.

"Spare me, Anjellis. I know what it is you want to know. How did I survive? It's simple, really. We all know that Metroids prey on the X. When you blasted me on that platform, you paralyzed my Metroid transformation. When the X engulfed me, it began to consume me, but at the same time, it thawed your ice and allowed my Metroid aspect feed and consume the X. I laid there in that ruin, my brain exposed to the air, and partially destroyed, along with my arms and legs. My Metroid aspect, charged by absorbing the X, began to reconstruct my body, not with human tissue, but with Metroid tissue. When I finally recovered, I found that I had complete control of the X. A mutation had occurred during my reconstruction…and now, you behold me here today, the master of an X flagship, the first of what will be my unstoppable fleet, manned by my X infested army. Consider yourselves my first recruits," Marcusson lectured.

Lita phased out again and appeared behind Marcusson. She jabbed the injection into his neck and released it. He grabbed her and flung her across the room. Before she hit the wall, Cade managed to catch her.

"You sneaky little wench!" Marcusson yelled as he began to shiver, "You think that is going to do it?"

"But you…" Lita raised an eyebrow.

"But I destroyed it? Not quite. It catalyzes the reaction between the X and the hull of the ship. It makes me stronger!" Marcusson said as he reached out to the hull of the ship. The metal seemingly melted and ran down onto his arm, forming a shiny coat over his body.

He dashed at Samus, who fired a shot at him. The blast deflected as he pummeled her into a massive console. He rebounded and jumped straight at Lita, but Cade clotheslined him into the floor.

"I'll hold this punk off! You figure out how to get rid of him!" Cade shouted as he took a punch to the jaw.

Lita's internal dialogue went nuts.

"What do I do? What do I do? That was supposed to kill him! What do I do? The engines…Abby said she could help…"

Lita rushed out of the room and down the corridors as quickly as she could. She dashed past their ship and reached the back end of the cargo bay, where the engines lay silent.

"If I could only find some Vilonium…where would Vilonium be on a ship like this…would it even be on this ship? Wait…"

She began fiddling with the drive system and noticed that the emergency generator ran off of a purified Vilonium core.

Her only chance was to open an engine and place it inside. It was risky because of the explosion, but at that point, it was the only hope.

Lita tossed the entire battery into the main thruster and secured the maintenance hatch.

She could already hear the rumbling from inside the massive cylinder as she dashed back to engineering.

"Abby! Abby!" she screamed.

"Can I go now? Can I start the engines?" Abby asked.

"Yes, hurry up! Do what you need to do!" Lita replied.

"But wait, before I do, you might want to take that time travel unit. It's a one time thing, so make sure you use it in time," Abby warned.

"What? What do you mean? What are you planning to do?" Lita inquired.

"The only way to destroy the X is to return it to its prison."

"Prison?" Lita scrunched up her face.

"X comes from Vilonium. It lives inside pure Vilonium ore. The Chozo first found the way to refine Vilonium, and the X was the byproduct. They then created the metroids to keep the X in check because they didn't want to corrupt their source of newfound energy. Since we have no metroids, I have to crash the ship into the Vilonium Purification Grounds on Planet Vhazon. It's the only logical thing to do," Abby explained.

"But what about Cade and Samus?" Lita choked.

"You shouldn't worry about them. As a time traveler, you are aware of your duties. You shouldn't be connected to anyone in any time. You travel to protect what is right and to keep the galaxy the way it should be," Abby quoted the Chrono Unit Creed verbatim.

"But who is to say that the galaxy should be a certain way, that things have to turn out a certain way? Who has the authority to decide such a thing?" Lita let a tear escape her eye.

"A logical question that can only have an illogical answer. I can't really tell you. All I know is that I'll give you two minutes before I reach my destination. Exactly two minutes from now, you must engage the device. If you do not, you will die. Daddy wouldn't want you to die," Abby said as she flickered and faded.

"But…" Lita hesitated before she ran back toward the bridge.

As she reached the room once again, she nearly fell as the engines engaged, throwing the ship forward toward the planet. She could see out of the windows that the surface was growing closer and closer by the second.

Samus looked up at her, blood running down her face and one eye engulfed in red from trauma.

"This is it, isn't it?" She sighed.

Lita developed a knot in her throat, but managed a head nod.

Cade was still struggling with Macrusson, and was seemingly having a good time.

"I just wanted to let you know…that I would have named my first child Lita…after you…" Samus said.

"If you could have done things over…would you?" Lita strained.

"I can't, so there's no point…" Samus coughed.

"That's what's not fair…" Lita winced.

"What isn't fair?" Samus looked up.

"That I can……Goodbye, Samus," Lita frowned.

"Goodbye Lita," Samus sobbed as she finally beheld her fate.

A flash lit up the bridge, then everything went silent.

-----------------------------

From his turret, Adam stood to see the ship plunge into the surface of the planet. The initial explosions from the bridge erupted as the engines continued to drive the ship into the crust of Vhazon. There was a strobe of purple, then a colossal rumble as the star cruiser struck the Vilonium reserve.

Soldiers cheered, but Adam looked on with a stern visage.

-----------------------------

_i"Lady, you must live to seize that chance. This is my last order, no, my last request." ___

_"All right," She breathed at last, "But that doesn't mean you have to stay here." ___

_The floor shook beneath their feet, a nearby grate was torn off by a sudden burst of pressurized steam, and it clattered loudly across the ground. The ship was already coming apart, if the escape pod was to have any chance it'd have to be jettisoned soon. Time had run far shorter than either of them had expected. ___

_"Get in the pod!" He demanded, gesturing fiercely with his good arm. "Now!" ___

_"Adam! I…" ___

_"I gave you an order lieutenant." Adam shouted harshly. Then his features softened. He remembered through the haze, the old sign of trust between them. That's what she needed - to trust him. ___

_"Any objections lady?" ___

_Samus opened her mouth in protest, but sighed, much of the tension leaving her body. Adam gave his best attempt at a gentle smile. He wasn't sure how effective it was, but it seemed to be put her a little more at ease. ___

_"All right." She conceded slowly, the words coming to her mouth with great difficulty. She started for the pod and then hesitated. Adam was just about to urge her on when she suddenly turned around and, before he could stop her, threw her arms around him. Taken completely by surprise, Adam stood there gaping. She gripped him tighter and Adam could feel his own cold heart softening next to the warm beating of hers. He awkwardly raised his own arms (what was left of them) and returned the hug. He felt a strange new emotion welling up inside of him and wondered vaguely if this was what it would've been like to have a daughter. ___

_"I won't forget you." She whispered over his shoulder. ___

_"You'd better not." He said wryly, patting her back reassuringly. "Now go." ___

_Reluctantly she slid off him, relinquishing their embrace. She looked sorrowfully up at him, and backed away. He placed his good hand on her shoulder and nodded towards the pod. She withdrew further and with a last lingering look, turned and climbed into the escape capsule. Adam hurriedly walked to the controls and slapped a panel. ___

_With a loud snap-hiss the door of the pod began to slide between them. ___

_"Sir!" She almost choked, second thoughts tearing at her heart. "I can't let you do this!" ___

_"Some must live and some must die... In time you'll know what I mean. Understand that someday, Samus." ___

_"Adam!" She cried, her mind racing for words. ___

_"Goodbye." He said quietly and shut his eyes. ___

_The door snapped shut with a finalizing clang. The protective blast field manifested around it, the light humming of the energy field could barely be heard over the sudden warning of sirens - signifying that less than a minute remained before total collapse. ___

_Adam sighed and got to work on the console. Funny that he'd forgotten to ask her about the Metroid incident, not that it mattered now. Oh well, he hoped it would all be over soon… ___

_The pod shuddered violently as steam and pressure escalated into a tumultuous cloud beneath it. With a thunderous detonation, the pod burst forward and was quickly expelled from the massive hole in the pirate's ship. The rear thrusters engaged upon leaving the confines of the escape shaft, and the pod rocketed away towards safety./i_

------------------------------------

"Push! Push! It's almost there, push!" a doctor yelled. cough…can't….breathe…" the woman responded.

"Doctor, she's flatlined!" a nurse shouted.

"I know that, but she signed a release to save the baby, so get it out!" the doctor ordered.

"Doctor, the baby is blue! She's trying to breathe, but she can't!"

"Well hook it up to a respirator until we can find something to help her!"

"We've received word from another patient! Her daughter died at birth and she wants to donate the organs to this child!"

"But what if they aren't a match?"

"We don't have time for that! This child is dying before our eyes! Let's do what we can to save her!"

**END**


End file.
